Foucault

STREAMING VIDEO
4 Class Sessions

Michel Foucault is the most influential intellectual of our times. Since his death from AIDS in 1984 he has been the most-cited scholar in the world while his studies on the creation of modern methods of social control have influenced generations of philosophers, historians, social scientists, and political activists. Today, Foucault is widely considered to be the leading thinker of the postmodernist movement that is the subject of intense debate.

In this course we analyze the text of Foucault’s major works, with each class session focusing on a single book or set of writings. Students who complete the full course will be fully conversant with Foucault’s major ideas.

Session 1: Madness and Civilization

Foucault’s first major book examines the history of insanity in the cultures, laws, politics, philosophy, and medicine of Europe from the Middle Ages into the modern era. It is widely considered to be the most comprehensive presentation of Foucault’s theories of power, language, and history.

Session 2: Discipline and Punish

The most well-known of Foucault’s books, Discipline and Punish describes the construction of the prison as the central means of criminal punishment and argues that it became the model for a larger, all-encompassing "carceral system” that serves as the modern means of social control.

Session 3: The History of Sexuality

One of the most commonly assigned books in university humanities courses, the 4-volume History of Sexuality examines the ways in which scientific authorities in the 19th century studied the human body and human behavior so that political authorities could more effectively manage and control populations.

Session 4: Lectures, Essays and Interviews

The final class session focuses on the important ideas contained in Foucault’s various written works as well as his oral presentations and interviews.

To access this streaming video course, you may purchase it individually for $215 or join Unregistered Academy.